New Sufjan Stevens album, Carrie and Lowell, out in March 2015*.

This is destined to be my album of the year. It is so good.

 

Received my (black vinyl) record yesterday from Asthmatic Kitty. Sounds good on my system despite the fact that "Some tracks were originally recorded on an iPhone in a hotel room in Klamath Falls, OR." Has a real sense of atmosphere despite the minimal instrumentation.

 

I've been listening to the album non-stop for days on end. Just got the vinyl today. This is far and away my favorite Sufjan album and one of my favorite albums by any artist ever. Can't recommend it enough.

 

With obligatory buys from Ringo and Brian Wilson coming up, plus the Bob Dylan covers album (which I ended up liking very much), Carrie & Lowell is the album I'm really looking forward to most.

 

Listening to my clear copy now. Top notch pressing with only a couple small pops on first play; very minor. Backgrounds are quiet.

The music; well, pretty amazing. I like it more and more very listen. Very emotional stuff.

As of 7pm tonight, Dave's records in Chicago still has a few clear copies. He has them behind the counter so you have to ask.

 

Got the CD from Asthmatic Kitty on Friday. It has lyrics!

Also in the envelope was a separate photo of little Sufjan with the banana.

Such a great album. Listened three times back to back. Amazing. Feels like it's always been around.

 

Just listening to this on NPR today and it's an absolute stunner. The arrangemnts glow and the songs are wrenching but surrounded by the most beautiful music. The whole thing just surrounds you with emotion and yearning, sadness and love. Really amazing, a very special album.

 

9.4 on Pitchfork. http://m.pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20218-carrie-lowell/

I really can't stop listening. I think it's so interesting that some of the music is fairly lo-fi (recorded to an iphone in a hotel room), but it seems to reinforce the intimacy and simplicity of the songs.

 

Really enjoyed that pitchfork review. I like how the reviewer used Carrie and Lowell to unlock some of the lyrics related to his parents found on his older albums. Very interesting.

 

Hmmm, my clear copy is very noisy as is the 2nd disc of the new Bjork I bought the same day. Very frustrating.

 

Sadly, mine is pretty noisy as well. I'm hoping the black is better, but given that they are pressed at the same place, I doubt it. It's a real shame, especially with music like this that begs for quiet surfaces. However, I didn't really have high expectations (as I don't unless it is pressed at Pallas or some place similar) and the music does sound so much better on vinyl than the MP3s. Just wish there were better presses out there that would make economic sense for albums like this.

 

For those of us planning on purchasing the LP in a store tomorrow and want to get the clear vinyl, those copies appear to indicate their clear-ness with a sticker on the shrink. I assume black copies will not have this.

 

Yes, there is a sticker that states it is clear vinyl. Not sure about the black ones.

 

My guess would be black copies either have no sticker or the sticker just says "Includes Digital Download" and doesn't mention anything about vinyl color.

 

One of my favorite releases this year. Consumer Warning: Do not make a habit of making this a double feature with the newest Steven Wilson release. I was listening to both yesterday as I was getting things done around the house. Had to throw on Men Without Hats Pop Goes the World to clear the gloom.

 

I just went to Rasputin San Francisco on my lunch break. They only had one copy of the LP and it did not have a hype sticker on it, so I assume it was black vinyl. I passed and will check Amoeba Berkeley after work.

 

Wow. This album is the real deal. Amazing.

 

Yeah, absolutely. Lyrically, musically, it's just stunning.

 

The examination of loss is so unrelenting, fearless, unflinching and precise it's breathtaking. Surrounding it with music that is as lovely as the lyrics are bleak was a masterstroke. Maybe the Antlers got close to this on Hospice or Burst Apart, but this is on another level altogether. Brilliant.

 

OK, that's the last time I pre-order direct from Sufjan instead of Amazon. It's Tuesday, and no record yet, grrrrrrrrr.

 

Hey Ralph, kind of a silly question, but I know that a lot of current/"hip" musicians are based in Brooklyn. Ever run into Sufjan or anyone else we might have heard of?

 

Not in my area. I think more in Bushwick or Williamsburg. I don't think I'd recognize any of them.

 

I pre-ordered from Asthmatic Kitty and still nothing yet for me either than the download they sent me yesterday. But my local had a bunch of the clear and it was only $12 so I picked it up. I'm sure I can find a good home for the other if AK ever gets it to me...

I did listen to the download a few times last night. And pretty much agree on the stunning part. All around. I'm going to bring tissues to the shows I go to in a couple of weeks....

 

I really don't want to hear it the first time as crappy mp3 and/or on crappy computer speakers and don't want to buy an extra copy, and I'm sure if I did grab one from Amazon, it would arrive on the same day as the AK copy anyhow, just to thwart me. So until the dang thing arrives from AK, I get to be the only person in North America who hasn't heard it yet. Grrrrrrrr. I BLAME JESUS, SUFJAN, YOU GOT THAT?

 

I'm ok with the mp3s but I understand the frustration(if it wasn't just $12 at my local I would not have been willing to pick up another...). Pretty annoying to pre-order directly from the label and have nothing by release day.